Republican Party Chairman JR Romano said with a 32 percent approval rating Malloy is unpopular and Democratic mayors and first selectman have done nothing to speak out against his policies.

The newly elected chairman of the state’s minority party believes the message is going to resonate with voters. He said they’re hearing about how much voters disapprove of Malloy when they knock on doors.

But Malloy, who greeted volunteers at Connecticut Democratic Party headquarters in Hartford Monday night, said he beat the Republican Party’s candidates for governor in 2014 by 28,000 votes.